Andrea Bargnani scores 36 points as Raptors defeat Suns 99-96

Andrea Bargnani, back after a six-game injury absence, poured in a season-high 36 points as the Raptors snapped an eight-game losing streak with their first win at Phoenix’s US Airways Center in eight seasons.

PHOENIX—The three-pointers were silky smooth, the mid-range game was there, the engagement on the defensive end was impressive and Andrea Bargnani made a triumphant return to the Raptors here Tuesday night.

It couldn’t have come soon enough for coach Dwane Casey and a reeling team.

Bargnani, back after a six-game injury absence, poured in a season-high 36 points as the Raptors snapped an eight-game losing streak by hanging on to beat the Phoenix Suns 99-96, their first win in the US Airways Center in eight seasons.

“We needed a ‘W’ to keep our confidence, to keep the ship going in the right direction,” Casey said after Toronto beat Phoenix for the first time since 2004. “We needed a ‘W’ to reinforce what we’re talking about.”

The return of the 7-foot Bargnani was the perfect tonic for a Raptors offence that had been stagnant in his absence. Not only did he stretch defences with his outside shooting abilities — he was 4-for-6 from three-point range — but his presence simply created space for other Raptors to operate.

“He makes everything easier for everybody else,” said Casey. “He opens up the lane, LB (Leandro Barbosa) could get in the lane for layups, James Johnson could get in the lane and get to the offensive boards. He’s kind of a hub that everybody can play off.”

And it was never more apparent than on one key Toronto possession with the Suns threatening late in the fourth quarter.

Mindful of the Raptors’ effectiveness at running a two-man game with Bargnani and Jose Calderon, the Suns left Calderon alone, and he drove down the lane and hit a left-handed layup while three defenders were paying close attention to Bargnani.

And on another vital possession with less than a minute to go, they ran it to perfection as Bargnani rolled to the basket, pulled up to hit a 15-footer and put Toronto up by seven with 42.5 seconds left.

Toronto also got huge nights from James Johnson (18 points,10 rebounds), Leandro Barbosa (19 points off the bench) and Calderon, who had just five points but 11 assists and calmly ran the offence.

The Suns got 21 points from Marcin Gortat and 17 points and 14 assists from the sublime Steve Nash as they dropped their third straight home game.

“Nash will make you look bad if you’re not exact and precise on your pick-and-roll coverage,” said Casey, whose Toronto team didn’t wilt in the face of a difficult first half.

“I thought our guys did a good job of fighting from behind. We could have pitched a tent and called it a day there at the beginning of the game but they showed fortitude, they stuck together, stayed together.”

The return of Bargnani allowed the Raptors to at least try to match the Suns’ high screen-roll play with Calderon and the 7-foot Roman once again working in concert.

After a predictably slow start — four misses on his first five field goal attempts — Bargnani caught fire and his 18-point third quarter allowed Toronto to take a 79-71 lead into the fourth.

“I thought our focus coming out of the locker room was pretty sharp, coming into the third quarter,” said Casey. “We locked in defensively, we got some easy buckets. Again, Andrea made things happen. He had nine points at halftime, he came out being aggressive offensively and kind of set the tone.”

The Raptors made another lineup move that paid off as well. Aaron Gray was inserted into the starting lineup for Amir Johnson and while his numbers weren’t impressive — two points and five rebounds in 15 minutes — his contribution was noticed.

“Talk about physicality. I thought he did a good job in the third quarter setting screens, getting everybody open and being physical on the offensive end,” said Casey.

“We have some situations where he sets a screen for Andrea — he did a good job of doing that.”

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